The Masks that we Wear
by Shuboni
Summary: Ever wondered why Shinatty doesn't take the mask off?


The Masks We Wear

Everyone wears a mask for some reason. Whether it to be to fool the ones around us into thinking we're happy or to get our way in life. Your true self hardly ever comes out, until you're given a taste of anonymity. Once nobody knows who you are, your true dark side comes out.

This story follows a boy named Chun Yao. A Chinese orphan who found his true identity. He grew up in a small orphanage, most of the other children there found their way to this orphanage the same way he did. Abandoned. On the doorstep. Chun didn't cry about not knowing his true parents, though. He just took it as an opportunity to make himself as himself and not like his parents or any other role model.

Even though he used this opportunity, he was still a kid. He still tried to model his life after something. Nothing really caught his attention though. He did like a show on TV about a little cat that went on adventures. This cat had quite a following, but not really among boys like Chun. He was supposed to like violence and roughhousing and things like that. But, Chun was never a normal boy.

He was very attractive, though. When parents who couldn't have children of their own, or singles who wanted a child to raise would come in, they would pass him up thinking that they wouldn't be able to give him enough care. Of course, all of them considered him at one point or another, but they all passed him up. He had been at the orphanage for a very long time.

During this time at the orphanage, Chun worked on his hobbies. He had a thing for animatronics. Making things out of machinery. The orphanage had one computer that the kids could use. Most of the other children didn't really understand it enough to use it, but Chun taught himself how. It didn't take him long before he was on the internet and reading. He read through tutorials on how to make animatronics and electrical masks.

Somehow during this time at the orphanage, Chun decided that since nobody else would adopt him, the television cat would have to be his mother. He would watch every show that came on. He wanted to be more like his mother, always going on adventures and having fun with her friends. Nothing to worry about, no lessons, nothing.

One day, when he turned 14, a man started visiting him. This man, named Al, told Chun that he would adopt him. That one day, they would be able to go home together. Chun thought it would be great. Al was a good guy who brought him gifts. Different parts for his animatronic gadgets. Al even bought Chun a little doll that looked exactly like the cat on TV.

Though, as the visits grew closer together, Al started getting stranger. The adults running the orphanage were used to Al coming around so much that they didn't even escort him anymore. They just told him where Chun was and left it at that. But, them being alone, got really strange. Al would start touching Chun in odd places, asking him if he liked being touched there. Chun didn't like it at all, and would say so. Al didn't care, he still kept going. Al left one day, saying to Chun that the next time he came, Chun would be his son.

Chun couldn't go with this man, he just couldn't. He didn't want to live his life being touched in weird ways and doing the weird things that this man was talking about. So, Chun went to work. If it was his looks that made the man want him, then Chun would make them go away.

The day came that Al was going to be taking Chun home.

"Chun! Where are you? I've come to take you home with me!" Al said while walking through the orphanage.

"I'm in here, aru." Chun replied.

"Huh? I don't remember him talking like that..." Al thought out loud while walking through the orphanage. Al rounded the corner to see Chun working on something. "Hey, what are you working on? Another robot figure?"

"Animatronics, aru." Chun said. "They're animatronics. And yes, I am. I just finished." Chun turned around to face Al, a mask on his face. It resembled the cat on the television, with a mouth. It was hideous.

"What... is that on your head? Come on, take it off."

The mask... blinked. And changed expression. Chun tilted his head. "What do you mean, aru? This is how I've always looked. I thought you liked it." The eyes turned sad. It was all too real.

"Come on, now, this isn't a game. Take it off and let's go." Al reached forward and grabbed the mask the best he could. There wasn't a seam on the bottom, so he grabbed the sides and pulled. The mask wouldn't budge, but the expression changed to a pained expression.

"Ow! Al, that hurts, aru! Don't do that!" Chun pulled away. "And my name isn't Chun anymore."

Al was dumbstruck. "What do you mean? What's your name then?"

"My name is... Shinatty." The mask turned to a happy smile. "And you've done something really bad, aru. Something really really bad."

Al started backing away. "I... Didn't mean it! I was... I was weak! No, it won't happen again! I swear!" The mask was terrifying, the eyes had depth that never ended. Like they were staring straight through him.

"Of course you won't. Not while you're dead, aru." Shinatty produced a knife, and promptly stabbed the man in the gut. Then, while the man was bent forward, Shinatty slit his throat and watched him bleed to death.

Nobody knew what happened to the boy after that. He was just gone. He had glued the mask to his head and left with everything that he had in that orphanage, along with some food to keep himself fed. The only sign he had ever been there was a dead body on his bed with a little cat doll in its hand.


End file.
